


My 10Plate

by AwkwardPlatypus13



Series: Octobryuu 2020 Prompts [11]
Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Beaches, Gen, Inspired by Music, Introspection, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:35:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27158705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkwardPlatypus13/pseuds/AwkwardPlatypus13
Summary: Ryuunosuke looks back on the difficult decision of becoming an idol and what that has meant for him moving forward.
Series: Octobryuu 2020 Prompts [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1953208
Kudos: 5





	My 10Plate

**Author's Note:**

> Octobryuu Day 22: Favorite Card~ 12 SONGS GIFT
> 
> I was originally gonna just draw Ryuu for this one, but I decided to read the Rabbit Chat for it, and it as well as some of the lyrics from the song itself inspired me to write this

“ _ Come to Tokyo as Tsunashi Ryuunosuke, son of the Hotel King, and I’ll put you in an idol group that will become the next sensation. You could get whatever you want. _ ”

I could still hear those enticing words Yaotome Sousuke said to me over lunch at my step-dad’s hotel. He was an imposing man, and incredibly confident in what he was promising me. As if the situation was so simple… Yaotome-san barely knew me. He had come to stay at the hotel to discuss a mutual connection between him and my step-dad a couple days back. The last night of his stay, he had happened to catch sight of me in the back with the other bellhops singing and dancing while having a few after shift drinks. The next day, he extended his stay another day and told me to meet him. 

Now here I was, given an ultimatum: become an idol and publicly acknowledge my step-dad as my father, or continue to watch Pops work himself into the ground trying to pay off his debts. I had until the next morning to give Yaotome-san my answer. Not knowing how to even tell Pops about this, I retreated to my favorite beach to clear my head and consider my options and weigh their costs.

It was nearing sunset as I trudged through the dry sand and chose a spot to sit down. The sky was cloudy and the waves were choppy— I guess Pop’s sailor’s intuition was right, a storm was coming… As I continued to watch the waves swell and tumble over each other, I took a deep, sighing breath and tried to slow my racing heart. Trying to sort out all of the thoughts swarming my head seemed nearly impossible. I closed my eyes and focused on the roaring of the ocean, letting it console the aching pressure in my chest. Over time, I slumped forward, relaxing my elbows to the tops of my drawn-up knees. Feeling more at ease, I managed to start picking apart my options.

Where things stood now, I was 21, had been helping my dad out with his fishing business and helping raise my brothers while he was off on fishing trips ever since I had graduated high school. However, when Pop’s fishing boat got capsized during a storm and was totally destroyed… He had to go into debt not only to get a new, better boat, but also to cover medical costs from the injury he got during the accident. His debt only kept building, and fees for my brothers’ schools were getting difficult to pay as we tried to salvage his business. I even went to work at my step-dad’s hotel as a bellhop these past few months, hoping maybe a consistent paycheck and any tips I could get from generous customers would help. But that wasn’t making even a dent in it and was just barely enough to help pay for the boys’ schools. I knew I had to find something else, something bigger, to help my dad. 

If I did say yes to Yaotome-san’s offer, it would mean first and foremost, I would have to move away from home. Could I move away from the place where I had spent my entire life, away from my family, away from friends… away from this place I viewed as a slice of heaven on earth? My mom has always said that home is where you make it, but moving to the city and taking on an entirely new life was a lot for one guy to handle. Moving wasn’t the only fear I had. I had never even considered becoming an idol as a future for myself. Sure, my friends always teased me that I had a habit of outshining them at the local pubs and karaoke parties when I started to sing. And I did pick up dancing as a kid since I had a good rhythm and flexibility for it, plus it was fun entertainment at beach gatherings. 

“ _ But I’m a plain guy from a small Okinawan neighborhood, _ ” I had tried to reason with Yaotome-san. “ _ What could I possibly contribute to an idol group? I feel like I would only burden anyone who has been striving to be an idol for longer _ .”

“ _ Have you looked in the mirror? Or even noticed how people around here stare at you? Women would flock just to shake your hand. If you do as I say and put on the right persona to capitalize on your strengths, with the right training and the right group, I can make you go far. _ ”

I would have to give up part of who I am, seal away that fisherman’s son like a ship in a bottle, and act more like the son of the Hotel King. It’s not like I didn’t like my step-father. He wasn’t too interested in me or my brothers, but he loves my mom and takes care of her. But at this point, my dad had barely anything going for him yet still managed to keep a smile on his face. I didn’t want to do anything to make him sad. Despite that, what else was there for me to do? There was no way I could take the risk of going to the city on my own and inevitably not find a high-paying job without even going to college. It was a miracle falling into my lap having someone influential like Yaotome-san scout me and insist I go with him, even getting my step-father to support this decision. I had no other choice. I had to say yes.

Now here I am, a couple years later, back on this same beach, here in Okinawa for idol work with TRIGGER— my second family. I don’t regret my decision for a moment. Sure, the template for who I am had to change, to the point I felt I was living such a lie I could just scream out of frustration and guilt. But as I look out at the blue and green sky and ocean before me, I can’t help but see myself in it. The beach changes every day and is shaped by the ocean’s waves, yet I come back to this spot years later and I can still recognise it as my favorite place to be. It’s kind of like how I have to shape myself to be what my fans expect of me and make them happy. And I don’t even have to do it myself. I have Gaku and Tenn, who still shine way brighter in my eyes than I do, to look after, and they even look after me sometimes. No matter what storms have come our way, we brave it by relying on each other and growing stronger with every test the heavens throw at us. 

Becoming an idol might have been a whirlwind decision, but it might just have been the best decision I’ll ever make. Not only am I slowly but surely helping out my dad, but I’ve found a new version of myself I can be proud of and another family I can be happy to be a part of and protect. I won’t be afraid of anything that comes in the future. I’ll fight it head on and be proud of the stronger person I have become.


End file.
